Scotland 4-50 Tonga: Sea Eagles produce huge victory

Michael Jennings grabbed a first half hat-trick as highly-fancied Tonga turned the heat up to defeat Scotland 50-4 at a searing Barlow Park.      

In temperatures of 28 degrees - and up to 78% humidity - the New South Wales centre put the favourites ahead inside two minutes, but it was a spell of four tries in nine minutes either side of the 20-minute mark that decided the destiny of the two points - North Queensland's $10m man Jason Taumololo unstoppable, before supplying a sensational offload for Jennings' second.

Next to cross was 2008 World Cup winner Sika Manu, and the skipper was followed over the line by Daniel Tupou, the Bravehearts unlucky video referee Ashley Klein didn't rule out the effort, as there was a case for the Sydney Roosters wing's elbow appearing to brush the sideline before touching down.

A quick-fire double right on half-time, though, confirmed the Tongans' dominance; Peni Terepo through Andrew Bentley to score, before Jennings completed a 37-minute treble - and it would have been a point-a-minute for Kristian Woolf's side in that first forty, had Ata Hingano's fifth conversion attempt not hit the post from right in front.

Incredibly though, it would take over 30 second-half minutes for the Tongans to cross again - and that after Danny Addy had opened the Bravehearts' account on the hour mark. Two late tries, though, hoisted the half-century - Callum Phillips' pass intercepted by Tupou for his second, before Ben Murdoch-Masila's break was finished off by Hingano. Next up, Steve McCormack's men play the red-hot Kiwis in Christchurch - before returning to Cairns to face Samoa in a fortnight's time.